Race for Hope

Every year, over 10,000 registered runners participate at Race for Hope. It is a well organized fund raising event for brain tumor research. Wall of Hope and survivor’s tent always makes me choked up. The weather in the early morning has been crisp and fm refreshing every year. The kind spirits and the will to go on are contagious.
At the finish line, there is water table, banana, bagel, and cold drinks for everyone. The area is well guarded and secure. Until next year.

The Washington, DC edition of Race for Hope is a 5K charity event to benefit the National Brain Tumor Society. As a charity event, this event gets 5 stars. The 2011 race was held on Sunday, May 1 and had over 12,000 participants. Most everyone seemed to be running in memory or in honor of a brain tumor victim and there were quite a few sruvivors on hand. It seems like a worthwhile cause and apparently raised over $ 2 million for brain tumor research.
As a running event, unfortunately, I would give the Race for Hope 1 star. It’s a nice course starting and ending at Freedom Plaza and crusing across the Mall at the base of the Capitol. I found this race at the last minute, so maybe the deficiencies are my fault for not knowing ahead of time but here goes:
1) No timing available if you register on the day of the race
2) No tech t-​shirt
3) Water is about another 1K from the finish line (a bit of an exageration, but there was actually a water station we were told we couldn’t use and had to keep going)
4) The field is probably 80−90% walkers. Apparently, if you’re an «elite» runner you can line up 15 minutes early and get a time (if you pre-​registered). If you didn’t and you find yourself near the back of the field, you’ll have to weave your way through a crowd of thousands of walkers (with strollers, pets, little kids, etc.).
I guess my biggest gripe is that none of this is mentioned on the website ahead of time. I did a breast cancer walk a few years ago, and I knew what to expect. This is billed as a 5K run/​walk race, but it’s probably better billed as strictly a charity event.
Still, the Race for Hope was an impressive event and the amount of money it raised will surely go toward a worth cause. Sign up for philanthropy reasons, not for physical fitness reasons.